The Change
by Oshii
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke is your average teenager. He writhes in the confines of high school and has an amateur garage band with Tayuya, Neji, and Gaara. But when Sasuke is attacked by a horrifying beast one night, he starts to change...SasuTayu, org. pub. '06-'07.
1. Chapter 1: Half Moon I

**One**

HALF MOON

"Itachi! No!"

Sasuke jerked upright in bed, lines of chilled perspiration crawling down the flesh of his back and his charcoal T-shirt clinging to him. _Damn, another one…_He realized, rubbing his temples as if to rid any traces of the horrid scary-familiar nightmare from his twisted subconscious. Blinking a few times, his bedroom slowly began to come into focus. Dark curtains drawn to terminate the pale morning sunlight from leaking in; a wooden desk in the corner scattered with pages of homework and chewed-up pencils and an obsolete computer sleeping quietly, the monitor dark as a frozen black hole; his backpack haphazardly thrown in the opposite corner amid discarded mud-caked combat boots and ripped up jeans.

Sighing, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, balance retained along with eyesight upon waking. He stretched, savoring the orgasmic popping of his ligaments and straightening of his spine, and went across the hall to the bathroom. The bright light made him wince at first, but his oculars gradually adjusted, allowing him to yank on the shower nozzle and send a torrent of icy cold water gushing out. He pulled off his shirt and boxers, leaving them in a rumpled pile on the linoleum floor. He stepped into the shower and was instantly aroused by the pelting of water on his skin. Tipping his head back, he allowed the liquid to soak his ebony hair and ooze into his pores, cleansing him not only physically but mentally as well, ebbing away at the hangover-like aftermath of the unconscious torture known as his warped idea of sleep and dreams.

The shower was brief and effective. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Sasuke stared—not of his own free will but by a taunting unnamed force that he loathed—into the mirror. Sleepless onyx eyes that craved seemingly unreachable malevolence framed in a pale, sallow face stared back, as if taunting him and his miserable life. Scowling, he slammed his palm onto the glass surface, leaving a handprint that absorbed the mist clinging to the reflective substance amid trailing finger lines as he dropped the appendage and brought it to the light switch, flicking the bathroom into a shroud of darkness.

He yanked on the jeans he'd thrown on the floor last night and a T-shirt from his closet, running his fingers through his damp hair and flicking the water droplets on the dirty grey walls. Glancing at his computer, he pondered whether or not to get on and check his e-mail. The clock on his bedside displayed seven-fifteen in luminous numbers. Probably not enough time. There was never enough time.

Breakfast was not an option either. Swiftly grabbing his backpack and sweeping out the front door, Sasuke climbed into the ancient van parked in the narrow driveway. In the vast empty space behind the driver and passenger seats, a various assortment of instruments sat waiting—guitars in sticker-encrusted cases, mikes, amps, and coils of wire and plugs left over from his band's rehearsal. If nothing else, Homicidal Transfixion was the best garage band in town at the moment. With Sasuke's insane lyrics, Neji's inhuman drumming, and Gaara and Tayuya's awesome guitar skills, they were guaranteed a break soon enough.

"Gotta tell the others about practice…" Sasuke muttered, backing out and speeding in the direction of the high school.

Neji, Gaara, and Tayuya were already loitering at the entrance doors of the school, obviously waiting for Sasuke.

"There you are," Neji folded his arms and watched with translucent white orbs as Sasuke got out and swung open the back doors of his van, allowing the respective owners of the instruments to grab them.

"My baby," Tayuya crooned, crouching on her haunches and unsnapping the chrome fastens on her case, caressing the smooth crimson body of her beloved guitar. She trailed her long fingers down the finely tuned strings, longing to pick and strum at them and let loose the cacophonous metallic rhythm.

The bell then screamed from inside the building, signaling that the population of rebels still lounging outside had better haul their sorry asses into school for some institutionalized backbreaking education.

"That's our cue," Gaara smirked, his sea green eyes smoldering beneath permanent obsidian smudges that bellowed his chronic insomnia. He folded his muscled arms and, reluctantly setting his bass back into Sasuke's van, trudged into the lobby. The others followed his example.

Art class. It was the last class on Sasuke's schedule, and his favorite. He loved the smell of paint and the serene atmosphere of the art room in general. He loved the feeling of running a brush down a piece of paper and seeing his thriving inner psyche come to life.

He sat at a table in the corner, oblivious to the excited chattering around him, and got a piece of thick paper from a cabinet. He reached into a plastic container for a brush, then a small palette with streaks of dried red and purple in the hollows. Setting these materials where he sat, he made his way back over to the same cabinet he'd just visited, his eyes studying with close scrutiny the barrage of used paint bottles displayed before him. He didn't paint specific objects, exactly, more like a motley assortment of incoherent blotches that represented the various moods that hovered over him. Today he felt…indifferent; the same sensation of dullness throbbing through his veins as always, amid the hard stoic outer shell he encased himself in whenever he was around human beings.

Sighing inaudibly, he grabbed three half-empty tubes—one midnight black, one velvet blue, and one alabaster white—and went back to his table. Going so far as to squeeze a color into the palette and dip his brush into it, he was interrupted by a female making her way over to his table. A certain female with unmistakable carnation hair, unmistakable shining jade eyes, and an unmistakable infatuation for Sasuke.

Sakura.

"Hi, Sasuke," She began tentatively, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "Mind if I sit next to you?"

He didn't respond, and she took it as an affirmative. Pulling out the chair next to him, she edged her way in and immediately started observing as his practiced hand swept across the paper, leaving bold strokes and masses of indescribable dark color.

"So…how's your day been?" Sakura asked, attempting to begin a conversation.

Biting back a sarcastic response, he replied, "Fine." Simple, effective—or at least he thought so.

Clearly dissatisfied at Sasuke's lack of articulation, Sakura cleared her throat and tried again. "That test today was killer, wasn't it? _I_ studied, of course, but I still wasn't prepared for the _totally_ unfair questions…" She babbled on and on, completely forgetting any previous hesitation about being near her lifelong crush, her studious bravado quickly taking over and transmuting her from a primly composed girl to an extremely annoying individual.

Exasperated, Sasuke furrowed his brow and harshly squirted a blob of black onto his mutilated paper, making Sakura stutter, then start back up again. _God, just make her go away…_He pleaded silently, unconsciously dragging the brush down his paper, not even trying to form anything remotely resembling his mood or anything else physically and possibly able to live on the planet.

When the bell rang, Sasuke bolted from the art studio in a blur of motion, leaving his mess and a crestfallen Sakura behind.

"Finally," He suppressed the urge to whoop with joy upon climbing into his van. However, a familiar voice stopped him from peeling out of the parking lot and risk getting a big, fat ticket from the local police cruisers parked on the edge of the road.

"Hey, can I get a ride home, douchebag?" Tayuya grinned from outside the driver's side window.

"Sure," Sasuke smirked as she walked around and, tugging on the beaten-up passenger-side door, swung her svelte frame into the leather seat. For a moment, Sasuke couldn't help but stare at her fiery red hair billowing out from under her black skull cap, her porcelain face half-hidden by thick, dark eye makeup.

He backed out of the parking lot and coasted down the street, leaving peacock tails of foliage that rained out from underneath his tires.

"So, practice at your place tonight, right?" Tayuya confirmed. Sasuke nodded.

He suddenly felt awkward in the void of silence left behind from Tayuya's voice. Reaching for the radio dial, he switched it to a local rock station. A new, popular song blared out at a thousand decibels.

"Ooh! Awesome song!" Tayuya grinned and swayed her head to the beat. Sasuke could take it or leave it, but he knew Tayuya was horrifying if angered, so instead of changing the station he leaned back and made a right turn at the upcoming intersection.

"Well, here's your house," Sasuke pointed out lamely when he'd pulled into Tayuya's driveway.

"I can see that," She grinned and swung herself out of the van after muttering a 'thanks'.

"Hey, wait," Without thinking, Sasuke got out of the van and went up to her side. "I'll walk you to the door."

"…Okay," Tayuya furrowed her brow at Sasuke's sudden burst of courtesy.

After Tayuya had safely gotten inside her abode, an inwardly satisfied Sasuke climbed back in the van and drove home.

**Usernames_Are_Pointless has signed on.**

** Usernames_Are_Pointless: **I know you're on, douchebags.

Sasuke sat back in his desk chair with a smirk. He knew the others would sign on in about three…two…one…

**Horrid_Fate has signed on.**

** … has signed on.**

** Horrid_Fate: **I see your psychic abilities are heightening. Impressive.

**…:** Damn bass…

** Usernames_Are_Pointless: **I've never gotten over your username, Gaara.

**Horrid_Fate: **Likewise, very original.

**…: **Hn.

**FK_YU** **has signed on.**

** FK_YU: **wAzZuP

Sasuke resisted the urge to yelp with delighted laughter at Tayuya's profane screen name. He thought for a moment, then,

**Usernames_Are_Pointless: **Practice at five. Everyone be there, or else.

** …: **I wonder how your entrails would look decorating the shrubbery, Uchiha…?

**FK_YU: **o_O

**FK_YU: **xD

**Horrid_Fate: **I've been wondering the same thing. You may be on to something…

**Usernames_Are_Pointless: **And I wonder how _yours_ would taste with a side of sauerkraut.

**Usernames_Are_Pointless: **That means you too, Hyuuga.

**Horrid_Fate:** Fuck you

**…:** Is this a challenge?

**FK_YU: **I'm betting on insomniac! =D

**Usernames_Are_Pointless: **Then you don't get a ride home tomorrow…

**FK_YU: **I hate sauerkraut.

**…: **I hate all of mankind. I also loathe Uchiha.

**Horrid_Fate: **Destiny cannot change…the fact that Sasuke is a hermaphrodite.

**FK_YU:** At least he'd make a _beautiful_ woman –lol-

**Usernames_Are_Pointless: **You just wait, all of you. When you show up for practice, you're going to get a warm, welcoming surprise…

** FK_YU has signed off.**

** Horrid_Fate has signed off.**

** … has signed off.**

** Usernames_Are_Pointless has signed off.**

Sasuke shifted his weight from one foot to the other and adjusted the microphone he gripped in his hands before signaling to Tayuya to begin the song.

"Let's do this thing!" She screamed, cranking up the volume on her amplifier and swiping her pick across the strings of her guitar, creating a crashing chord. This was followed by a series of shorter sounds, accompanied with the identical lower hum of Gaara's bass, amid Neji's harmonizing drums.

Sasuke dug deep into his soul to unearth the raging fire longing to break free when he sang; not the usual calm attitude he displayed daily, or the serene inward bliss that seeped through him when he painted in art class. This was different, not the steady constant flow of the other feelings but a whole mess of erratic surges and explosions, let loose through his seemingly inhuman larynx. When he sang, people's eyes widened—most from pleasing shock, others from slight disapproval. This Sasuke relished.

Before he knew it, the two-minute song was over, much to his dismay.

"All right," Neji smirked and twirled his drumsticks between his thin alabaster fingers, leaning back precariously in his stool.

"Man, I can never get enough of that," Tayuya, flushed from headbanging to the cacophonous rhythm polluting the neighborhood, yanked off her skull cap and threw it on the ground, tousling her wild mane of flaming hair. To his surprise, Sasuke found himself gawking. He mentally slapped himself and pretended to be immensely preoccupied with his mike stand to hide the damned blush he knew was seething across his pale face like poison ivy.

"See you tomorrow," The others bid their separate goodbyes and climbed into Neji's white Nissan parked alongside Sasuke's millenium-old vehicle.

"Yeah," Sasuke sighed. He gathered up the instruments and threw them into the back of his van, then closed the garage and started up the sidewalk to his back deck. Glancing up at the charcoal-stained sky, he realized he hadn't noticed how late it was. Wispy grey clouds sheathed the atmosphere, winding like ribbons between glittering diamond stars and framing a glowing half-full moon.

Suddenly an ear-shattering howl rang through the night, making the blood freeze in Sasuke's veins.


	2. Chapter 2: Half Moon II

**Two**

HALF MOON

"What—the fuck?!" Sasuke rasped, pivoting on his heels. His obsidian eyes darted frantically around his backyard, searching for anyone—or any_thing_—that could've been the source of that ominous noise. Common sense told him to bolt for the door and sprint inside and crawl under his blankets and suck his thumb like the frightened little whelp he was. Before he had a chance to oblige, the wail sounded again, that bone-chilling howl that made Sasuke's heart skip a beat.

"Awhoooooooooooo!"

A black mass swept through the narrow border of woods on the far edge of Sasuke's yard, two eerie glowing eyes glaring at him. Two empty white eyes, like floating orbs in the darkness. For a moment, Sasuke thought it was Neji playing a trick on him.

"Hyuuga! This isn't funny!" He scowled and stormed inside the house, ransacking the kitchen and muttering angrily to himself.

"Damn, I was almost _scared_ by that prick," He yanked out a fair-sized knife from the cutlery rack on his counter and went back outside, quietly this time, hiding his impromptu weapon in his jacket. "Reveal yourself, Hyuuga. I have no time for games."

He expected to see those ghastly eyes staring at him, but there was nothing out by the woods. Just leaf piles and spindly old trees. Sasuke furrowed his brow and brought out the knife, running his fingers down the smooth wooden handle, his oculars straining to make out any form of—what he thought, anyway—Neji.

A sudden growl behind Sasuke jerked him out of his thoughts. He stiffened, then grasped the knife even tighter. Swallowing, he summoned his voice and managed to choke out, "Who's there?"

Slowly turning to face his unseen adversary, he inhaled sharply and stumbled backwards. There, on the roof, were those milky white orbs again. This time, however—and this convinced Sasuke that it was not Neji who was prowling around his house—the eyes were accompanied by a set of flashing fangs, bared in a heart-stopping snarl.

"…oh shit…" Sasuke muttered, leaning against the rusted grill on the deck.

The creature lunged, sending them both sprawling over the railing and into the backyard. Sasuke screamed as the thing shoved its teeth into his shoulder, growls vibrating in its massive throat.

Sasuke used his free arm to ineffectively beat on the creature, letting out a yell as it raked its talons down his torso and removed its fangs from his shoulder, burying them again in his stomach.

_I'm going to die…_Sasuke realized, gasping as blood oozed onto the earth and stained his ripped clothing.

A flash of silver in the moonlight made his eyes dart to his right. There lay the knife that had flown out of his hands. Summoning all the strength he had left, Sasuke reached out and grabbed the weapon.

"I'm…not dying…yet!"

With a cry of painful rage, he shoved the blade through the beast's neck.

The thing roared with fury, then collapsed heavily, its bloodstained fangs glinting crimson in the light of the Earth's sister looming over them. Sasuke shoved the creature off of him and weakly crawled up the deck stairs.

"Aaah!" He gripped the throbbing bite on his left shoulder and awkwardly pushed open the door, slamming it shut behind him and stumbling down the hallway. He almost fell into the bathroom, but caught himself on the sink cabinet. "Fuck…" He grimaced and doubled over, his heart threatening to explode out of his torn up chest and scamper across the linoleum tile on the floor where he lay. _What the fuck was that thing?!_ He screamed to himself, shakily rising up to his knees and sitting against the cabinet.

A pain shot through his abdomen and he instinctively clutched it, only to feel warm fluid trickling between his fingers. He looked down and saw little shreds of flesh and lines of blood and all he felt was pain. Darkness crept into his vision, blurring and contorting it in ways that enticed him to gradually lose consciousness.

_He was running, running through the darkness, running through the night, darting between trees. His blood boiled with excitement, his breath grew harsh with anticipation, his heart thrummed wildly in his ears. Deer rabbit foliage moss dirt they all smelled wonderful and urged him on toward the clearing, where the patiently waiting full moon_

_ Full moon_

_ Full moon_

_ Full moon_

_ The full moon was waiting for him, her silvery light caressing his bare body and unleashing the change_

_ AWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

Sasuke's eyes snapped open. "Whoa," He muttered dazedly.

Pale morning sunlight filtered through the glass of the bathroom window, warming his face. He pushed himself up on his feet, slightly surprised to find his muscles to be quite strong, not shaky like they should be after all the blood he'd lost. Staring into the mirror, he pulled down his shirt to examine the bite on his shoulder. His brow furrowed. It didn't make any sense.

Where there should've been swollen, perhaps still bloody flesh amid gaping tooth holes, there was merely white scar tissue where the bite was. Sasuke scoffed and fingered the wound, studying its reflection with close scrutiny. Well, at least it was healed.

The roughly foot-long gouges down his chest were just lingering, and so was the ripped up mess on his stomach. "I've gotta be dreaming," Sasuke muttered, trudging into his room and sitting on his bed. His eyes strayed to the clock on his bedside.

11:53

"Holy shit!" Sasuke's jaw dropped in disbelief. Not that he was late for anything, seeing as it was Saturday, but he never, _ever_ slept this long. His parents had thought it immoral for anyone to sleep past six A.M. And here he was, passed out until practically noon.

And it felt _great_.

He stretched lazily, savoring the popping of his ligaments and crackling of his spine like always, and peeled off his mutilated shirt. Walking into the kitchen, his tread was halted by the abrupt screaming of the phone.

"Sasuke! Dude, what the fuck?!"

"Tayuya," He confirmed, slight irritation and surprise in his voice. Why was she calling him right now?

"What happened to you last night? I mean, Neji called like fifty times after we left to ask if you wanted to crash at his place for the night, and you never picked up. Then I called twice earlier, and got the damn answering machine. You never sleep past five, so I assumed you'd pick up."

"I was tired, so I slept in. Is that a problem?" He snapped, hanging up before she could reply, something he'd never done in the past.

Digging through his freezer and unearthing a half-empty take out box from two nights ago, he grabbed a fork from the sink and indulged in the limp noodles and cold chicken. "Damn, I'm still hungry…" He realized after he'd downed the contents of the box.

Sasuke yanked on a clean shirt and swung himself into his van, peeling out of the driveway with a squeal of tires and an acrid stench of rubber amid the clanking protests of the rusty vehicle. He drove around town, eventually pulling into a small diner.

He entered the restaurant nonchalantly, greeted by the quiet conversations of a few early morning regulars amid the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and scrambled eggs. Sienna tile on the floor, dingy yellow wallpaper, and four booths on either wall made up the décor. Two ceiling fans slowly rotated the warm air wafting out from the kitchen, spreading the smells of food throughout the miniscule building and making Sasuke's stomach growl impatiently.

"Good morning, my name's Amy and I'll be your server today," The waitress who glided up to him had her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and an apron tied around her hips. Sasuke nodded in acknowledgment; he had no time for idle chitchat, he came here for food.

Amy ushered him to an unoccupied booth, where he gladly slid in and snatched the menu from her. Greedily devouring the print as if it were a meal itself, Sasuke picked the first meat thing he could find.

"Okay, your order will be ready shortly," Amy confirmed in a chipper voice, collecting the menu and flouncing away, her tawny ponytail swaying.

The front door opened with a tinkling of the bell, and Gaara walked in.

"…Good morning, my name's Julie, and I'll be your server…" A girl similar to Amy seemed startled as Gaara strode into the diner.

"Hn." He ignored Julie and instead scanned the area as if he was looking for someone. His jade eyes widened slightly as he saw Sasuke, who was equally surprised to see the redhead.

"Sasuke," Gaara began, sliding casually into the booth.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked in a bored tone. He tapped his fingers on the table and stared at the kitchen, waiting impatiently for his food.

Gaara said nothing; instead, he simply pulled down the Uchiha's shirt, exposing the already healed bite on his shoulder. "That's what."

Sasuke slapped Gaara's hand away and pulled his shirt back up, glaring. "What the hell was that for?!" He rasped, furious.

"You know damn well what happened to you last night, Uchiha." Gaara proclaimed in his usual low, gruff voice.

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke said, a little too loudly for the tiny diner.

"Is there a problem?"

Sasuke jumped, then swiftly turned to face a beefy man hovering over the table. He donned civilian clothing, but Sasuke knew those hard, steely eyes and thick moustache anywhere. He'd had plenty of experiences with this man in the past.

"Officer Sherman," He acknowledged coolly.

Officer Sherman sighed exasperatedly. "Sasuke, how many times have I told you to control that temper of yours? I should take you downtown for disturbing the peace." He fingered the handcuffs in his back pocket pointedly. Officer Sherman always carried his badge and handcuffs, even when off duty.

Sasuke licked his lips nervously. His eyes darted around the diner, checking for a way to run. He caught sight of the door up front.

"I gotta go," He muttered, awkwardly sliding out of the booth.

Gaara immediately followed him. He grabbed Sasuke's arm and whipped him around so they were face-to-face. "We need to talk."

Sasuke felt a growl rise in his chest. "Let go." He jerked his arm free, his glare still not averting from Gaara's. He flexed his fingers, balling his hands into fists. Gaara did the same.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop it, both of you," Officer Sherman stepped in between the two boys. He withdrew the handcuffs. "One more wrong move and you're both comin' with me."

"You fuck!" Sasuke spat, pivoting and sprinting out of the diner.

The midday sun blasted down with a fierce intensity, scorching the top of Sasuke's head. He checked over his shoulder, and sure enough, both Gaara and Officer Sherman were hot on his heels. _Shit,_ He thought, picking up speed.

Gaara narrowed his eyes and, hunching over, thrust himself forward. He easily outran the burly officer, and was within the desired distance of his target in no time.

He reached out and yanked on Sasuke's shirt collar.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he found his throat being squeezed roughly by fabric. He stopped abruptly, and the momentum sent both he and Gaara tumbling onto the cracked, mossy sidewalk.

"What the—" Sasuke's words were choked off by Gaara wrenching his hand around said Uchiha's throat.

"Not one more word," He hissed, his eyes narrowing. He straightened up, pulling Sasuke up with him. "Follow me, Sherman's coming."

Sasuke snarled, ripping Gaara's hand from his throat. He opened his mouth, preparing to spit out his next argument, but sure enough, the officer—although huffing and puffing—was gaining on them. He still held the cuffs, the sunlight reflecting off of them and sending a blinding burst of silvery rainbows in all directions.

"Come on," Gaara grabbed Sasuke's wrist and dragged him into a nearby alley.

Sasuke ran in the dark, narrow space and pressed himself against the damp brick wall. Heart pounding, he realized that his teeth were pricking his bottom lip.

Wait, his teeth weren't that sharp.

"We're safe, for now—" Gaara stopped and stared at Sasuke, a strange expression on his face.

"What?" Sasuke demanded, sweat trickling down his sides.

"I knew it," Gaara replied, a mad grin spreading across his face. He reached out and, grabbing one of Sasuke's hands, brought it up to eye level. "See?"

Sasuke's mouth opened a fraction wider. "'The fuck?" He rasped.

Tipping each of his long fingers was a perfect, pointed claw.

"You're already turning." Gaara said quietly, his expression fading back to its usual stone mask. He examined Sasuke's hand with close scrutiny, then raised his calculating sea green eyes to meet Sasuke's gaze. "Run your tongue over your teeth."

Sasuke furrowed his brow, but did as he was told—and was shocked to find a neat row of daggers where his normally blunt teeth should've been. _So that's what was pricking my lip, _He realized.

"What do you mean, 'turning'?" He inquired, the bile of fear rising in his gullet. He pulled his hand away.

Gaara chuckled. "You don't watch enough horror movies, Sasuke. If a human survives the bite of a werewolf, then that human will become a werewolf as well." A small, sadistic smile twitched on his lips. "You lucky bastard."

Sasuke grimaced. The scars all over his body were beginning to throb. He felt an intense heat surge through his veins. "What?" He heard himself say. His voice sounded strangely calm. Dazedly, he brought his hand up to his forehead.

"You heard me," Gaara replied. His voice was distant, fading.

Sasuke's vision grew dim. He turned and took a few slow steps away from Gaara, trailing his other hand along the brick as if its roughness could summon reality as well as balance. _What's happening?_ He thought frantically, sliding down to the filthy ground below.


	3. Chapter 3: Half Moon III

**Three**

HALF MOON

Sasuke didn't remember the ground being so soft when he awoke later.

"It's about time,"

Sasuke opened his eyes halfway. Somewhere near him was Gaara's indifferent monotone voice. He sat up, the room spinning into focus. Groaning, he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, shit!"

"I would be more careful with those if I were you," Gaara advised, rising up from the chair he had been perched in and walking over to the bed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and retracted his fingers from his scalp. He'd forgotten about his claws. _Claws…_An amused expression slid over his face, and out of curiosity, he examined his nails. Sure enough, they were still there—those inhuman, animalistic talons. He glanced at Gaara. "How the hell did I get home?" He gestured around his bedroom, his bed.

"You passed out in the alleyway. I drove you here. Your van's in the driveway." Gaara replied bluntly. He averted his gaze briefly to check the digital clock on Sasuke's bedside table. "You've been comatose for hours."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. He slid his fingers between the blinds of the window and peered outside. The sky in the west blazed gold and vermilion, streaking the horizon with the arousing colors of sunset. The fine hair on the back of his neck and all the way down his spine bristled. His toes curled, and he swallowed. _Why do I feel so…excited?_ He wondered, climbing out of bed.

Gaara smirked. The look in his eyes made Sasuke guess he could read his mind. "It's your primal instincts. Like I said, you're turning. Right now the moon is only half-full. But as it waxes, so will the undeniable lycanthropic urges boiling within your blood. On the night the moon looms round and whole, you will change. There is no way to avoid it."

Sasuke stared blankly at Gaara. "Sure," He muttered, crossing the room and swinging the door open. _Damn, he sounds like some tribal shaman from a horror movie or something,_ he concluded silently.

The evening air was intimately warm as Sasuke stepped outside. He licked his lips, then stretched. He felt a new awakening within, and it felt good. Strolling down the sidewalk, he detected a pleasant hum course through his body. He smiled and trailed his claws over some unsuspecting homeowner's mailbox.

Sasuke didn't realize where he was going until he reached Tayuya's neighborhood. He raised an eyebrow, and his mouth closed into a thin line. A strange pressure was beginning to build at the base of his spine. Glancing up at the sky, he realized it had darkened to a shade of indigo. The first few stars of the night were glitteringly bright in the atmosphere, and the moon glowed softly, her light washing down in undulating waves of silver.

The breath caught in Sasuke's throat, and for a moment he was paralyzed in the middle of the sidewalk. _This feeling…_

He shrugged it off a few moments later, and continued his impromptu rendezvous to Tayuya's house.

Needless to say, Tayuya wasn't expecting Sasuke. "Uh…hey," She greeted awkwardly, stepping aside to let him enter her house. He slid his shoes off and looked around her living room. He hadn't been here in a while, but the walls were still painted the same bleak white color; the carpet was still stained beige, and her furniture was still brown leather. "Any particular reason you came?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood, and decided to pay you a visit." He flopped down on the couch and smirked. "You should consider it an honor."

Tayuya rolled her eyes and closed the door, latching the small golden chain into place. "Look, what the hell happened to you?" Her surprise at his presence was now transmuting to anger. "I've been trying to call you since last night, and you never picked up your phone. And you seem…different." She folded her arms, her dark eyes glinting.

Sasuke raised a finger. "Actually, I did pick up my phone around noon," He began, propping his legs up on the coffee table. "And furthermore, what I've been doing is technically none of your business."

When Tayuya opened her mouth to spit out her next argument, Sasuke spoke first. "You shouldn't want to know _all_ of my daily shenanigans, Tayuya." He rose up and sauntered into her kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside. "Ah, here we go." Straightening up, he closed the door and brought into the living room two cans of Coors.

Tayuya growled, but sat down next to him anyway. "You're damn lucky my parents aren't home," She proclaimed, grabbing a can.

Sasuke reached for the beer. "Allow me," He took it from her hands and, cracking the tab open, handed it back to her. She took it, a bemused expression on her face. "…Thanks," She tilted the can to her lips.

They sat quietly for a while, hearing the occasional swishing of liquor inside a can as one of them took a swig. Sasuke kept his gaze fixed ahead at the TV—the shows being merely colored, motion pictures with no meaning whatsoever—but occasionally he allowed himself a quick glance at Tayuya's slim legs propped up on the table alongside his. The thought crossed his mind that he wanted to touch her, just to see what her flesh felt like. He felt a surge of exciting heat, but gripped the arm of the sofa firmly and instead took another drink from his can.

Finally, Tayuya spoke. "What's with the claws?"

Sasuke nearly sputtered on his beer. "What?"

Tayuya gestured to Sasuke's hand. "Those. Are they fake or what?"

Sasuke clicked his nails on his Coors can. He turned to look at Tayuya. "Depends. How open minded are you?"

Tayuya furrowed her brow. A scoff escaped her lips. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She took another swig from her can.

Sasuke set his beer down and sighed. "It means…that what I'm about to tell you requires a very open mind." He reached out and gently traced a talon down her thigh to stall the inevitable confession.

Tayuya raised an eyebrow. "Is this going to lead somewhere?" She set her can down and placed her hand over his, stilling his motions. She raised her eyes to meet his.

Sasuke's heart picked up speed. _What the fuck do I say? 'Guess what, Tayuya, I'm turning into a vicious, bloodthirsty monster!' Get real,_ he thought.

"Sasuke?" Tayuya prompted softly.

He snapped out of his mental argument. "Never mind," He replied quietly, turning away. _It's not like she would believe you anyway. It's not everyday one of your friends announces that he's slowly changing into a werewolf…supposedly._

"It's all right, Sasuke. You can tell me." Tayuya inched closer to him, her voice uncharacteristically gentle.

Sasuke felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and fear. His toes curled, and he inhaled sharply. Against all common sense, he whipped around and pressed his lips to Tayuya's, taking her head in his hands.

Tayuya squealed, then closed her eyes and flung her arms around his neck, pushing him into the cushions. Sasuke pulled her over him, running his hands down her back. Ever the risk taker, he ventured further and parted her lips with his tongue.

Tayuya pulled away abruptly. "…Whoa," She breathed, blinking in shock.

Sasuke had a similar reaction. He propped himself up on his elbows, and opened his mouth as if to say something, but he was speechless. _Damn, it's hot in here,_ he realized.

"Was that what you meant by…an open mind?" Tayuya was still dazed.

"Uh…yeah, I guess," Sasuke stammered. His T-shirt clung to him; his jeans felt too tight. He flexed his fingers as a tingling sensation began in his palms. _Oh, why did she have to pull away?!_

Tayuya bit her lip. "Do you…?" She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't have to.

"Yes," Sasuke answered, pulling her down again.

Sasuke stared, transfixed with disbelief, in the bathroom mirror. _What the fuck…?_ He thought.

His hair was turning white.

_How did this happen? It was black last night, and now it's got fucking white streaks in it! _Sasuke scowled and ran his fingers through his hair. It looked odd, the contrast between the two colors in his follicles. _I've gotta call Gaara,_ he decided. Gaara seemed to know a lot about this whole 'turning into a werewolf' business.

"Calm down, Rapunzel, it's probably just another side effect," Gaara said in a bored tone in response to Sasuke's frantic telephone call. "God, I never knew a guy who was so overly concerned about his damn hair."

"No, you don't understand," Sasuke growled. "I'll look like a fucking eighty year old man with white hair! That can't happen, especially when I'm seeing Tayuya tonight!"

Oops.

"You're seeing Tayuya?" Even Gaara's interest seemed piqued at this statement Sasuke had just blurted out.

_Shit…_Sasuke realized. He sighed heavily to show his exasperation. "Yes, not that it's any of your concern. Now what am I supposed to do about my hair?"

It was Gaara's turn to sigh. "Dye it, you fucking douche. Now leave me alone."

Sasuke found himself holding a dead line after that. "Oh yeah…" He muttered, feeling immensely stupid.

If there was a time when Sasuke had been more humiliated in his life, it was right now. As he stood, as nonchalantly as possible, in the hair products aisle of the local drugstore, Sasuke knew the other passerby didn't give a shit about him just looking at some hair dye. But he couldn't shake the squirming feeling of uneasiness as he tugged the hood of his sweatshirt lower over his skull. His—thankfully—still charcoal bangs hung over his face as he scrounged the disturbingly similar packages of dye.

_I feel ridiculous,_ he thought while examining a box of black dye. It would have to do. Sighing, he grabbed the box off the shelf and hurriedly made his way over to the register.

At home, Sasuke had dumped the contents of the box all over his bathroom counter. There was an instructional pamphlet, along with a couple of different packages filled with a mysterious thick substance, a silver tube of something, and a small plastic comb. _Great…_he rolled his eyes exasperatedly and snatched up the instructions.

Thirty minutes later, there was pasty white cream splotched in the sink and all over the inside wall of the shower and a trail of black droplets surrounding Sasuke's personal being, but his hair was back to normal. _Nice,_ he admired his reflection vainly, not caring that he was a dripping mess from being in the shower. He would clean the bathroom later.

Later…

"Oh, shit!" Sasuke staggered as the memory of what he was supposed to be doing right now socked him with the strength of a blow.

He was supposed to be getting ready to take Tayuya to the Stark Raving Mad concert at the fair in roughly an hour.

Bathroom mess forgotten, Sasuke threw his towel aside and flew to his room, digging frantically through his closet for that special outfit he'd picked out last week. Slipping on the black jeans with the glittering silver chains, studs, and loops along with the tight crimson T-shirt, he figured his it was all right to dry his hair now. Too bad the blow dryer was fried, though.

"Gimme a break!" He shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. _Oh, well, I'll just let it dry on the walk over there, _he thought. It was bound to be warm outside; the sun would work just as well as a blow dryer.

As he adjusted the spiked choker around his neck and reapplied the thick black liner on his eyelids, Sasuke wondered if Tayuya was this vain in preparation. He shrugged, figuring all girls took as much time as he did.

Satisfied, Sasuke left the house and set off toward Tayuya's neighborhood.


	4. Chapter 4: Three Quarter Moon I

**Four**

THREE-QUARTER MOON

"You ready?"

Sasuke leaned casually in the doorframe, a smirk on his face as he took Tayuya in from head to toe. She wore a frayed denim miniskirt and a loose, cropped black T-shirt that exposed her pierced navel. Her legs were darkened by ripped tights and on her feet were studded, buckled combat boots. She still wore her usual black skull cap, and her flaming hair was still striking as it rippled over her shoulders.

_Hot,_ was the only word screaming and reverberating through Sasuke's head as Tayuya grinned and slunk out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and brought her lips to his ear. "Let's go."

Sasuke wrapped his arm around her, enjoying the feel of his hand on her arm, and tried not to hurt her with his claws—which, by the way, seemed to have grown longer in the past week or so. He didn't really pay attention to those anymore; he'd gotten used to them. There were other things on his mind, things more important than long nails. Like white hair.

The fairgrounds were just downtown, so it wasn't that long of a walk. Sasuke liked the warm sun on his back and Tayuya's left breast pressing tightly against his ribs. _I should've gotten a girlfriend a long time ago,_ he mused silently. _More specifically, Tayuya._

He didn't understand why he'd been so ignorant these past few years. Sure, they had been good friends, but he had always been too preoccupied with his own melodramatic, traumatized life to really notice Tayuya. He'd always spent too much time dwelling in the bloody nightmares of his childhood; his agonized screams piercing the air as he spent many a night tossing and turning restlessly in a cocoon of his own icy sweat and tears. He still loathed his…_brother_—he shuddered to think of Itachi as his sibling—and still vowed to kill him one day, to avenge his family, and that had always been the most important ambition in his life.

But now…Tayuya seemed more important than ever.

"Look! There's Neji and Gaara!" Tayuya waved over to them, jerking Sasuke out of his stupor.

Neji's mouth opened a fraction wider as he saw Tayuya, and Gaara smirked. "Hey," the awestruck Hyuuga murmured, his alabaster eyes still not averting from Tayuya's outfit.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Neji ogled Tayuya, and he defensively clutched her. A growl rose in his throat. _Keep looking at her like that, Hyuuga, and I'll fucking rip your face off,_ he promised silently. He could've sworn his talons lengthened at the thought.

Gaara, sensing Sasuke's wariness, elbowed Neji sharply in the ribs. "The concert is starting soon." He reminded them, gesturing over to the grandstand.

The arena was one big amorphous mass of a hullabaloo. Lights, wires, amps, and people. The noise was in great abundance as Sasuke pushed his way through the crowd to find some vacant seats, and he longed to flee and take Tayuya with him. Sure, Stark Raving Mad was a kickass band, but Sasuke didn't much care for crowds.

"Damn! Sasuke, you find any seats yet?" Neji demanded, stepping over someone's feet.

"No," Sasuke snapped. "Guess we'll just have to stand."

"That's fine with me," Tayuya said, draping her arm over his neck and trailing her hand down his chest. "It's hard to dance around when you're sitting, anyway." She grinned.

Sasuke felt a warm rush of blood sweep through his veins at Tayuya's hand touching his chest, and he playfully bit her fingers as they sat on the top row of stone bleachers. She laughed, then pressed her lips to his, making him forget all about her fingers; her tongue was much tastier.

Suddenly, the lights shut off, enveloping the grandstand in a shroud of darkness. A few people screamed, and most muttered to themselves. Sasuke smirked, though; he knew it was probably just part of the performance.

He was right. In a few minutes, the multicolored strobe lights exploded and the air was filled with the insane crashing chords of guitars amid the booming of drums and screaming young men at a thousand decibels.

"Fuck yeah!" Tayuya whooped and pumped her fist in the air, along with everyone else in the arena. Sasuke grinned and followed suit, relishing the incessant pumping of his heart and invigorating adrenaline flowing through his body, a response to the excitement of the concert.

"Hey, Tayuya, you should pick up a few things from Sully," Neji announced above the roar of the noise with a smirk on his face. He was pertaining to Sully, the guitarist of Stark Raving Mad.

"I get all my inspiration from him," Tayuya called back, dancing on her feet in a swirl of shirt, her red hair flying everywhere. "And if I were you, I would pay less attention to my guitar and more to your drums, Neji," She crooned.

A new set of hard riffs filled the air, and the crowd took up a cheer. Clearly, this was the song they'd been anticipating; the air was filled with the electrical charge of a thousand people's happy heartbeats and encouraging shouts.

Sasuke detected an almost painful surge of blood rushing through his limbs, and a twitch in his back. He furrowed his brow, then glanced over at Gaara, who was leaning against the wall.

Gaara caught Sasuke's puzzled expression and beckoned toward him with a finger.

Sasuke slipped away, leaving Tayuya to dance to the beat, and made his way over to Gaara. "What is this feeling?" He wondered aloud once in earshot of the insomniac.

"Full moon is only a few days away, Sasuke. Your body's anticipating the change. You're going to experience a lot of new feelings, and most of them are probably going to be painful. It's a package deal," Gaara replied calmly, studying Sasuke's face.

Sasuke scoffed. "That's nice. Now I've got a whole new ordeal to look forward to." He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

"I see the dye worked," Gaara noticed, a small smirk on his face.

Sasuke pulled his hand away. "Oh yeah, I, uh, just did it before the concert," He muttered, clearly not interested in talking about his fantastical adventures with hair dye.

Gaara sighed. "Look, just concentrate on the music for now," He advised, turning his attention back to the stage.

Sasuke groaned, then pivoted and pushed his way back toward Tayuya.

"Where'd you go?" She asked, swaying alongside him.

"Oh, Gaara just wanted to tell me something," He replied, pulling her close.

After the concert had ended, everyone poured out of the grandstand at once; a big, amorphous mass expanding and oozing onto the fairgrounds outside. It was dark out, and a chilly breeze had picked up.

"Shit, I should've brought a jacket," Tayuya muttered, rubbing her arms, hoping the friction would bring some warmth to her limbs.

"You're cold?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. It felt perfect out to him; how could she be cold?

"You're not?" Tayuya matched his tone of disbelief. Her mouth closed into a thin line, and she lay her hand on his forehead, surprising him. "You feel like you've got a fever," She noted.

Sasuke shrugged. "I feel fine." He took a step forward, then paused. There was an unnamed force pulling his head upward toward the sky. His eyes widened; they stole the silver moon and turned it as black as the night itself, his hair swayed in the breeze. He closed his eyes and extended his arms outward, basking in the feel of the moonlight washing over his burning flesh.

"Sasuke? What are you doing?"

Tayuya's voice startled Sasuke, causing him to stagger. "Nothing," He choked out, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, guys, we're gonna split," Neji said, gesturing to he and Gaara.

"All right, then," Tayuya replied, waving goodbye, then turning back to Sasuke, who hadn't moved an inch.

But as Neji turned to leave, Gaara glanced back at Sasuke. He nodded once, then joined Neji.

"Hey, do you wanna leave, too?" Tayuya asked Sasuke.

Sasuke turned to face her. "Do you?"

She shrugged. "There isn't really anything to do. We could go back to my house…" Her voice trailed off, and she trailed a finger down his torso, grinning suggestively.

"All right," Sasuke agreed, a smirk on his face.

But when they reached Tayuya's house, there was a car in the driveway.

"Shit! My parents are home," She groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Sasuke understood. It would be hard to make out on the couch with her parents hovering over them, watching their every move. "Let's just go to my house instead," He suggested.

Tayuya's reply was cut off by her mother flicking on the porch light and walking out on the lawn. "How was the concert?" She inquired, her voice calm but her eyes brittle as she took in Sasuke head to toe.

"Fine," Tayuya replied bluntly, inching closer to Sasuke. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him. "Mom, this is Sasuke."

"Nice to meet you," Tayuya's mother replied, not sounding as if it were really nice to meet him.

"It's the eyeliner, isn't it?" Sasuke whispered. Tayuya stifled a giggle. "I'm going over to his house for a while, all right?" She told her mother.

Her mother sighed. "Fine. Just be home by midnight. And still a virgin."

"Mom!" Tayuya shrieked, her face flushing as red as her hair. Sasuke choked back a laugh at the brashness of his girlfriend's mother.

"Sorry about that," Tayuya muttered when they reached Sasuke's house.

"It's all right," He replied, unlocking the door and holding it open for her. She ducked under his arm, and he followed, closing the door behind them.

"Can I use your bathroom?" Tayuya asked, slipping her boots off.

"Sure," Sasuke gestured down the hall.

Wait.

_Shit! I didn't clean up the mess from earlier!_ He realized as she edged closer to the bathroom. _She'll know I dyed my hair, and she'll ask why, and I'll have to tell her that my hair was turning white, and she'll give me a look like I'm crazy…_Sasuke went through the various horrid outcomes of Tayuya pissing in his destroyed bathroom. The only bathroom in the house.

Luckily, though, Tayuya didn't turn out to say anything about the mess as she exited the bathroom and joined Sasuke in the living room. "Well, Sasuke, here we are…" She grinned and gestured around, indicating that they were the only two people around (she couldn't indicate that they were the only human beings, seeing as Sasuke was, in fact, a werewolf, and werewolves are not human).

"Yes," Sasuke replied, going over to her. He grinned and pressed his lips to hers, and they found themselves in a reenactment of their first kiss, only this time with Tayuya on the bottom and Sasuke playing the dominant role of being on top.

_I'll never get tired of this,_ Sasuke vowed silently, in the middle of a successful series of French kisses.

Suddenly, a swift pang wrenched his insides, causing him to grimace and falter.

"What's wrong?" Tayuya asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

_If only I knew…_Sasuke thought, climbing off of her and making his way down the hall.

He hastily shut and locked the bathroom door behind him, fumbling with the little lock on the doorknob with his curved talons, and doubled over as the pain intensified. _Gaara was right…that son of a bitch,_ Sasuke realized as his spine tightened.

"Sasuke? Are you all right?" Tayuya's voice came from outside the bathroom, amid a rapping at the door.

"Yeah…" His voice trailed off as he lowered onto hands and knees, his muscles writhing relentlessly. He felt like he was on fire; his blood boiling made him rip his shirt off.

"Are you sure? Like I said, you felt like you had a fever at the fairgrounds," Tayuya's voice was etched with concern.

Sasuke had to wait a moment for his reply, seeing as he would probably throw up if he opened his mouth. _It's not even full moon yet, _he realized, biting his lip as a particularly sharp pain shot up his spine. _If this is just anticipation…_he shuddered to think of the probable agony of the actual transformation.

Finally, his muscles unclenched enough for him to relax and speak. "I'll be out in a minute," He told Tayuya.

"Okay," She replied after a few moments. Sasuke heard her footsteps retreat down the hall.

Sasuke tediously edged open the door and walked back into the living room. He didn't even care that being shirtless exposed all of his telltale attack scars; he was much too warm to care.

Sure enough, Tayuya gasped at his appearance. "What happened to you?" She choked out, rising up and making her way over to him.

"I was mauled." He replied casually, lounging on the couch.

"By what? A bear?" Tayuya gaped as she sat next to him, staring at his scarred up torso.

"Not exactly." Hell, why not tell her the truth right now? It was easier than trying to lie and make up excuses for his bizarre behavior, especially so close to full moon. _Besides, I'd like to see her reaction, _he thought wickedly. "More like a…werewolf."


	5. Chapter 5: Three Quarter Moon II

**Five**

THREE-QUARTER MOON

Tayuya raised her eyes to meet his. "You're kidding, right?" She laughed after this statement.

"No, I'm not," Sasuke replied, and his tone of voice proclaimed that he was serious. "Just wait a few days, you'll see."

Tayuya was not moved. "Yeah, right. I'd have to see it to believe it," Then, a coy grin slid across her face. "But if you want to play kinky games, I'll be Little Red Riding Hood," She reached for him.

Sasuke pulled back. "I thought something like this would happen," He began, rising to his feet. He strode over to the door, then turned his head and beckoned with a talon. "Come out with me underneath the stars."

Tayuya looked puzzled at first, but then her eyes widened. "Sasuke…your hair…" She gestured to his head.

Sasuke grabbed a lock of his hair, and wasn't surprised to find a streak of white slithering over the faux black dye. He looked back at the human girl, then released an inhuman throaty sound. "Do you believe me now?" His voice held a rasp.

Tayuya, unable to speak, nodded.

Sasuke could sense her uneasiness. "Do you honestly think I would hurt you?" His tone was quiet, reassuring. "Just because I'll change into a wolf under the light of the moon doesn't mean I can't control myself."

"I know," Tayuya whispered, going over to him. She looked up at him. "You look sexy with the whites of your eyes black." She chuckled.

Sasuke grinned and, in one fluid movement, swept her into his arms and carried her back to the couch.

The next day, Sasuke couldn't tell if the incessant buzz coursing through his veins was for Tayuya or for the waxing moon. But it certainly wasn't for Gaara.

"You told her?!" Gaara's voice was taut with outrage and disbelief on the other end of the phone.

"Is that a problem?" Sasuke replied coolly, playing with the chunk of raw hamburger in his hands, then taking a bite. He figured his sudden fetish for bloody meat was just another part of turning, so he didn't ponder why he was raiding supermarket freezers for nice, big slabs of beef at the crack of dawn this morning.

"Dammit, Sasuke! Don't you know that you've endangered yourself by revealing your secret to a human?"

"As far as I know, you're human, and _you_ know my secret," Sasuke licked the last of the juice off of his fingers, then continued. "And besides, Tayuya thinks it's sexy."

Gaara growled with disapproval. "That doesn't matter. If you want to go around telling people you're a werewolf, fine. Just don't come crying to me when someone blows your head off." Then, he hung up.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, then placed the receiver back on the cradle. "Whatever," He muttered.

Seeing as it was Monday, Sasuke decided to go to school.

"Hey, babe," He greeted upon arriving when Tayuya flung herself into his arms.

"So, did you run around as a wolf last night, raiding the pastures of innocent farmers and slaughtering livestock?" Tayuya whispered in his ear, chuckling.

"Not yet," Sasuke whispered back, and he couldn't suppress a smile. _Maybe this whole thing isn't as bad as I thought it would be,_ he mused silently as he and Tayuya walked to science together.

They slid into their seats in the nick of time. The bell screamed obnoxiously, and Mr. Malino strode into the room. "Turn your books to page 56," He began. In no time, the man set off on a droning lecture about the spectrum of light.

Sasuke clicked his talons on the chipped black top of the table, propping his head up with his left hand. Mr. Malino's voice faded to a low hum in the background, and Sasuke's eyes, staring at the page he was supposed to have turned two minutes ago, began to fog. The print on the page blurred into a black-and-white nonsensical soup. He briefly closed his eyes, then snapped them open again. _Need to sleep more,_ he amended silently.

Two desks down, Tayuya didn't even have her textbook open. She was deep in concentration on a half-finished drawing in her sketchpad, her brow furrowed with effort as she dug the graphite of her pencil into the perfect contours of the sketch. Sasuke turned his head to watch his girlfriend draw. _She looks kind of cute when she's concentrating,_ he realized, a smirk skirting across his face.

Tayuya glanced up and, realizing that Sasuke was watching her, mouthed the words _kill him_. Her tawny eyes flickered to Mr. Malino, who had his back turned to the class, then she met Sasuke's gaze again. They both stifled laughs.

Suddenly, the scruffy youth who sat next to Sasuke sliced his finger on the edge of a piece of notebook paper. "Shit…" He muttered, watching the blood rise to the surface.

WHAM!

A dizzying surge of blood rushed to Sasuke's skull, and he saw the sliver on the boy's flesh magnify a thousand times, every swirl of his fingerprint etched as clear as if Sasuke held it under a microscope. _Oh, God…_He swiftly turned away, screwing his eyes tight, and bared his teeth. He felt his canines prick his lower lip. His nostrils twitched as the sweet copper stench of the boy's blood wafted over to him.

Sasuke felt his muscles tighten and relax erratically. His breath became shallow. He detected a quiver in his spine, a ripple riding up the flesh of his back. He grimaced. _Do not tell me I have to endure a whole fucking hour of this,_ he pleaded.

And Mr. Malino continued to drone. What Sasuke wouldn't give to lunge in front of the class in one leap and rip the man's throat out; to silence him forever, to never hear his wretched monotonous speeches ever again.

And the boy—who had forgotten about his cut by now and was carving initials in the wood of the desk—continued to bleed. Less, perhaps, but the godforsaken crimson life flowed out of the tiny slice on his finger nevertheless. Sasuke could still smell it as if the blood had been spilled all over the floor. _I can't take this anymore,_ he decided.

He raised his hand.

"Yes?" Mr. Malino addressed Sasuke.

"I need to use the bathroom," Sasuke said gruffly.

"Use a hall pass," Mr. Malino was already turning back to the board to continue the notes.

Out in the hallway, Sasuke inhaled deeply. His heart rate gradually slowed, and he found he could think clearer in the fresh air, away from the bleeding boy. His muscles still writhed dully, though; he wasn't completely in control yet. He decided to walk the halls. Walk, and think.

He set off down the seniors' wing, away from the science room. Most of the classrooms had their doors shut, and the ones who were open ignored the ebony-haired Uchiha strolling the halls in the middle of a class period.

As he drifted by the water fountain, Sasuke paused to stoop over and drink from the slightly rusted tap. There was a faint smell of cigarettes coming from the bathrooms on either side of the fountain. Sasuke straightened up, wiped a hand across his mouth, and continued his impromptu trek through the halls.

It wasn't until he reached the library did Sasuke realize that he was being followed.

Swiftly ducking inside the double glass doors, Sasuke was greeted by the rich, slightly musky smell of tattered novels and bright carpet. Where he stood, there was a rough semicircle around the room with two small staircases—one by the exit doors and another across the room—and a ramp in front of him that led down to an area with about ten square tables, each with four wooden chairs and surrounded by shelves all around.

The footsteps behind him seemed to grow closer. _What the hell?_ Sasuke hastily swerved and almost fell into the dark room on his left.

Inside, there were about five computers—again, in a rough semicircle—and two printers on either side of the room, in opposite corners. The maroon blinds were closed, and hardly any light filtered through. The air-conditioning felt good; Sasuke always seemed to be way too hot these days. _I think I'll stay in here for a while,_ he decided.

But as soon as he'd settled in and turned on a computer, the door swung open and none other than Gaara stood in the doorway.

Sasuke gave the redhead an incredulous look. "What are you doing here, Gaara?" He tried to appear nonchalant as he opened up an Internet screen.

"I could say the same," Gaara shut the door behind him. His icy eyes glinted in the white light rolling in waves off of Sasuke's computer monitor, making the shadows under his oculars even more prominent than usual.

Sasuke growled and pivoted around in his seat, the wheels gliding roughly on the carpet, and leapt to his feet. He had Gaara down in a second, pinning him to the floor, his talons digging into the fabric of his shirt.

Gaara had a twisted, sick smile on his face. "I bet you'd like to sink your teeth into my throat right now," He purred. "I know the feeling…"

Sasuke had no idea what Gaara was rambling on about. His hearing focused only on the incessant tempo of Gaara's pulse, the blood throbbing through the dark veins underneath his pallid skin. Sasuke could see them—oh, how he would _love_ to spill his friend's life all over this floor and lap it up, drop by drop, relishing it…

Gaara scowled. This was starting to get annoying. "Get off me." He shoved Sasuke aside, catching him momentarily off guard. He rose to his feet in a single, fluid movement, watching as the raven-haired Uchiha eased into a four-legged crouch, teeth bared. The feral gleam in his eyes was as prominent as ever.

"You can't stay here," Gaara declared, glancing around quickly.

"Why the hell not?" Sasuke snarled. His voice began to take on two tones—one normal, the other something more demonic.

"Come on," Gaara, ignoring Sasuke's inquiry, hoisted him up and shoved him out the door.

They hastily maneuvered down the maze of hallways, searching for an exit. Gaara skulked around the doorways, always ready to duck into one if a teacher happened to approach.

Sasuke's vision began to blur. The rows of lockers bulged and writhed, spiraling into nonexistent vortexes in the middle of the hallway. Some primal instinct forced him to sniff the air feverently; to lower on knuckles and toes and spinder down the hall as the wolf within longed to break free.

Ignoring Gaara's protests, Sasuke reached the door leading out to the courtyard and barreled outside. He straightened up, leaning against the rough brick wall of the school's exterior as his human sensibilities came flooding back to him. He grimaced and ripped his shirt off, feeling tiny lightning go off at the feeling of his talons raking his flesh. He licked the crimson fluid off of his fingertips, desperation flaming within him. His own blood probably did not taste, he figured, as well as the blood of that boy back in the science room, or Gaara's…

"Dammit, Sasuke, it's a dead end!" Gaara's enraged voice cut the air like a knife, sending Sasuke's heart into frenzied palpitations.

The Uchiha's eyes darted around frantically, searching for an exit. He was beginning to feel paranoid. Sasuke didn't like feeling paranoid.

"Aha," Sasuke grinned. He rushed up to the end of the courtyard, gaining speed. A surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins, a brief spasm twisted his muscles, and he threw himself up over the ten-foot wall without a second glance.

He hit the ground running, running like a bullet fired from the barrel slicing through the air. As he ran, he hunched over, and at last doubled onto all fours. He sped up rapidly with the doubled amount of limbs propelling him, and in no time he reached the woods across the street.

Down by the ravine, Sasuke ceased running. His eyes, wide and luminous, detected faint movement in the creek below. His nostrils twitched, and he picked up the strong odor of ripe beer, weed, and fresh urine amid the pungent aroma of sweat and excitement. He felt a growl at the back of his throat that he could barely contain as he easily slunk into the tree and clung to the branch that precariously hovered over the ravine.

There was a group of five scruffy youths having a beer blast at the bottom of the ravine. They were all male; they looked about seventeen or eighteen, and Sasuke had seen them before at school—that is, when they had gone to school. They were dropouts, last year or so. Sasuke could pick a couple out of the bunch—Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, and Kankuro, Gaara's older brother whom he never spoke of.

The rest were unidentifiable.

Sasuke experienced a sudden tenfold increase in vision, and he found he could literally zoom in with his oculars like a camera, enabling him to see every speck of debris on the boys' clothing, every follicle of hair on their head, every flicker of their eyeballs. He bared his sharp teeth in a wicked grin. _Better go see what the party's all about,_ he decided.

Tensing into a crouch, he sent a rush of power through his body and leaped down to the ravine below, landing silently and swiftly. He licked his lips and sauntered up to one of the guys, one he wasn't able to identify.

"Hey, it's…Uchiha!" Naruto slurred, swinging his long neck about. "Wazzup, man?!"

Sasuke resisted the urge to scoff. He and Naruto barely knew each other. In fact, he barely or didn't know all of these guys.

"What're _you_ doin' here?" One of the strangers demanded, his speech altered from liquor and pot.

"I'm lookin' to score some," Sasuke growled, smirking. He casually held his claws up to his face, pretending to examine them, but really just showing them off to his possible adversaries. He instantly felt like playing wicked games, messing with their heads or something. _That_ would be incredibly easy, seeing as they were all probably stoned off their rockers.

"Get lost, pal."

"Yeah. This is _our_ dope. Go find your fix somewhere else, bitch!"

Not that Sasuke wanted any in the first place, but hearing these pieces of shit talk to him like that made his blood boil. He lengthened his nails even more and, without a moment's hesitation, swiped the tall stranger's face.

_That_ sobered the others up pretty quick.

"—what the fuck?!"

"Get that piece of shit!"

Sasuke immediately found himself being swarmed by five hopelessly intoxicated young men not much older than him. He felt thick arms encircle him, and a hard punch to his gut; another to his right cheek. He was vaguely surprised of the fact that he felt no pain, only adrenaline. He used that adrenaline to wrench himself free of whoever was holding him down and to swarm up the walls of the ravine as quick as breath.

The phone ringing later that evening awakened Sasuke. He startled, then blinked and snatched the cordless from his bedside table. "What?" He didn't bother to conceal his irritation; this unlucky soul had just interrupted his nap.

"What happened earlier? You just, disappeared!" It was Tayuya.

Sasuke's anger dissolved at the sound of his girlfriend's voice, etched with concern and curiosity. The anger was replaced with warm contentment that slowly spread through his veins. Strangely enough, he was now acutely aware of the blood pulsing beneath his bruises. His hand traveled down his torso as he opened his mouth to speak. "Wanna come over?" His voice was husky. He clutched the phone and his eyes closed halfway as he waited for her response.

"…I'll be there." And with the click of the phone on the other line, Tayuya hung up.

Sasuke stretched and grinned honey-slow, setting the phone back on his nightstand. His eyes closed all the way now as he ran his clawed fingers through his hair. He sighed lightly, rising up and getting out of bed in one supple motion. He loped down the hall, clad in only boxers, and dug around in his freezer for dinner before Tayuya came over.

While toying with a handful of raw bacon strips, Sasuke noticed that he was sprouting talons on his toes now. Smirking, he shoved a strip into his mouth and, setting the rest down on the counter, picked up his left foot and began to examine this new deformity. How morbidly intriguing it was to watch his body slowly mutate into a wolf. There was still the fear, though; the fear of enduring the inevitable final transformation. But there was curiosity as well. What exactly would it feel like? Would it hurt (yes, it probably would)? Would it come fast or bit-by-bit as the moon rose? Would he remember anything in his wolf-shape?

Sasuke was interrupted from his melodramatic thoughts by the doorbell ringing. _Tayuya,_ he thought, ecstasy squeezing his heart.


	6. Chapter 6: Three Quarter Moon III

**Six**

THREE-QUARTER MOON

"Hey," Tayuya wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck, burying her head in his shoulder. Sasuke swiftly gathered her up in his arms and carried her over to the stove. She wrapped her long legs around his waist and licked his ear. "Anything new? Growing a tail, perhaps?" She giggled.

"Boy, you're taking this lightheartedly," Sasuke muttered. Shifting Tayuya's weight over to his left arm, he supported her on his hip like an infant and resumed eating the raw bacon with his right hand.

"Let's go out and do something," Tayuya suggested, nuzzling his neck with her nose.

Sasuke felt a tremor run down his spine at her touch, and the breath caught in his throat, mingling with the pounding of his heart. He swallowed and set Tayuya down. "Excuse me," He whispered in her ear, then swept down the hall to the bathroom.

Sasuke barely had time to lock the door before that horrible pain set up again; that agonizing hellfire that surged through his veins that was supposedly a perquisite to the change. He grimaced, doubling over and inhaling raggedly, praying for the pain to pass. Instead he got a fresh bout of nausea. Fear coursed through him. _If this is what I have to look forward to…_he couldn't bear the thought of what was in store for him in the next few nights.

He curled up on his side, his back pressed against the cold bathtub. He groped desperately for a happy thought, memory, _anything_ to ease the pain. He found himself wishing wildly for Tayuya. _She wouldn't know what to do!_ He chastised himself, but still…the mental image of her face helped a little.

Finally, gradually, the pain ebbed away. He lay motionless for a few moments; then pulled himself up and heaved over the side of the tub. _Tayuya…I have to get back to her,_ he realized as he slowly rose to his feet.

Needless to say, Sasuke was not expecting to see Tayuya standing outside the door.

"Sasuke, you look like shit." She commented bluntly, although Sasuke couldn't miss the concern in her voice.

"I feel like shit," He replied despite himself.

Sasuke closed his eyes as he felt Tayuya's fingers descend on his forehead. The equivalent of ice, her hand felt better than anything he could've imagined at the moment.

"Is the fact that you're burning up a result of preparing for the transformation? Or are you really sick, Sasuke?" Tayuya sounded so matter-of-fact when she spoke of his transformation. Shouldn't she be afraid?

"Don't sound so nonchalant," Sasuke pleaded. He gently lowered her hand and made his way into the bedroom without bothering to turn on the light. His head spun at the mere concept of the metamorphosis, and that coupled with the pain he'd just experienced was almost too much to bear.

He didn't have to open his eyes to know that Tayuya had followed him. He felt her lie down on the bed beside him and wrap her arm around his shoulder, her hand resting on his scarred chest. "We don't have to go anywhere tonight," She murmured. "If you'd rather stay home."

Sasuke was vaguely surprised at Tayuya being so uncharacteristically considerate. He reached up and wound his fingers in between hers, bringing her hand up to his mouth and nipping at her knuckle. "I'll be fine, babe," He reassured her. If she wanted to go somewhere, then dammit, Uchiha Sasuke would not hold her back.

They ended up going to the park. It was quiet, deserted at night, perfect for lovers. A few lamps cast eerie golden pools in the darkness, illuminating the three ivy-strangled benches and the ancient gazebo in the middle of the park.

"It's a lovely night," Sasuke observed, pulling Tayuya close to him beside the bench.

"How cliché," She chuckled and settled herself into him, her womanly contours fitting perfectly with his muscular chest and arms.

Sasuke wrapped an arm around Tayuya, letting his other one drape limply over the edge of the bench. That hand played with a few stray blades of the ankle-high grass, his fingers twirling the smooth stalks. He plucked one out and slowly pulverized it between his fingers, feeling the sticky chlorophyll ooze onto his flesh as the grass disintegrated. He flicked the remains away and resumed rubbing his thumb and index finger together. He found that he liked the feeling of skin on skin, the sound of his talons clicking together. It sent a delicious chill through his blood, gooseflesh rising on his arms.

Tayuya sighed quietly. She raised her eyes to meet his, and Sasuke could recognize the sparkling glint in her hazel orbs—it meant she was about to ask something she'd pre-meditated for a great amount of time. It was probably something very important, he knew. He'd had plenty of experience with her before, so it wasn't hard to tell. But still…

"Sasuke," She began tentatively.

_ How unlike her,_ Sasuke realized. Then again, Tayuya had been surprising him a lot lately. Perhaps having a suitor had made her more feminine. _Who knows, just respond,_ he thought. "Hm?"

"…Tell me about being a werewolf," She murmured into his chest, her lips lingering by one of the long, long scars he'd received the night he was attacked. It seemed like ages ago, he realized.

"What's there to tell?" He replied, staring off into the woods bordering the park instead of at Tayuya. "I haven't transformed yet…" A shudder coursed through him, and again he recalled the nightmarish agony he'd been succumbed to earlier. He detected a tightening in his lower back that made him wince and unconsciously clutch Tayuya tighter.

"Ow! Your nails…" She wriggled beneath him.

"Sorry," He muttered, withdrawing his hand from her arm and flexing his fingers. _Damn claws,_ he cursed silently. He suddenly got the urge to get up and walk around. He rose to his feet, but instead of walking, he lowered onto all fours and raced over to the nearest tree, scaling it with the ease of a panther and clinging to a high branch.

"Sasuke! What are you _doing_?" Tayuya called up to him, giggling.

Sasuke felt uncomfortably hot in his clothes, but he couldn't very well strip naked in the park, could he? He settled by kicking off his shoes and peeling off his shirt. He would have to bear with his jeans. He dug his nails into the bark of the tree, savoring the tingling vibrations in his fingertips and the intensifying odor of damp mold and moss saturating the cool night air. His toes curled, biting gouges in the wood and sending a tremor through his body that coursed from his feet to his scalp. It made him impulsively click his teeth, his jaw tensing. He narrowed his eyes and watched as the night began to take on a new form—the hairs on a leaf magnified a thousand times like a forest of redwoods, the grooves in the bark of the tree began to resemble the great trenches of a canyon.

He closed his eyes then, and he could hear the soft cry of an owl from who-knows-how far away; the trickling of water in the creek deep in the woods. A pleasant hum coursed through him, and he made a warm throaty sound of contentment.

But his eyes shot open again as the prickling sensation swept down his back, the sensation he'd never felt before but instinctively knew it was caused by hair growing. He craned his neck to see over his shoulder, and a rough trail of white tufts was shooting down his spine. _Bit by bit,_ he realized with a grim smile.

There was a rustling below, and Sasuke knew Tayuya was trying to climb the tree. _Silly girl,_ he thought. He leaned over the branch to watch the human female clamber and swing up the branches. "Not bad," He called down to her.

"I'm coming to get you, Uchiha," She threatened.

"Oh no," He cried with mock alarm.

Below, he could hear a muffled grunt of effort as Tayuya came closer, and finally, she climbed up onto the branch and grabbed Sasuke's ankle. "Gotcha," She grinned wickedly.

"I see," Sasuke replied. He abruptly jerked his leg upward, sending Tayuya sprawling. For a brief moment, he thought she might have fallen off the branch. _Uh-oh,_ he thought.

But Tayuya clung to the branch like a bat, curling her legs around the wood and letting her torso fall. "This is fun," She mused.

"I can see up your shirt," Sasuke commented nonchalantly.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Quite nicely, actually."

"Good."

Tayuya pulled herself back up into a sitting position. Even in the darkness, Sasuke could see the rush of blood to her face at the sudden change in gravity. He laughed, a deep sound that resonated from his chest and crescendoed to the stars. It felt good, whole. Sasuke always felt torn-apart these days.

He rose up to perch on the branch instead of lie on it, his muscles quivering. He felt the urge to run. Without a second glance, he flew off the branch, soaring to the ground below. He hit the ground running, his hands and feet pounding the earth in perfect sync. His heart pounded fiercely, sending absolute torrents of blood surging through his veins. Bursts of knife-sharp chilly air seared his lungs like silver mercury with each inhalation, adding to the exciting high. His muscles writhed and uncoiled like snakes, great electric sparks exploding beneath his flesh. His body was rewarding him with bursts of exhilarating adrenaline in exchange for releasing all that pent-up energy. _If this is what it's like to be a wolf,_ Sasuke thought, _then I can't wait to change._

"Shut up!" Tayuya screamed, her face glowing with excitement.

"I'm not kidding," Neji smirked. He held aloft the flyer in his hand like a letter from the president—its importance was the equivalent, anyway.

The House of Hair was holding its annual Battle of the Bands, and Homicidal Transfixion was a competitor. Amateur garage bands from different communities all over the area, and it was nearly impossible to get in the top ten after the first elimination round. Homicidal Transfixion had tried before, but they had ended up in the thirties.

"We didn't even make it to twenty-five last time," Gaara scowled.

"You're such a pessimist," Tayuya sneered. "We'll kick their asses this year, for sure!" She pumped a fist in the air for emphasis. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke wasn't paying attention. He was more preoccupied by the squirrel darting between the trashcans next to Neji's garage. The little black creature was frolicking in the pieces of rubbish that had overflowed from the cans, grabbing a bite to eat from a moldy pizza crust or licking the inside of a busted beer bottle (the latter, the squirrel discovered, wasn't as satisfying as the pizza crust).

Quick as lightning, Sasuke reached out and bit the squirrel's head off. He spat it out, then squeezed the fluids from its body into his mouth. He disposed of the body afterward, then turned to face his friends, which were staring at him incredulously. Mostly Neji, seeing as he didn't know Sasuke's secret yet.

"…What the fuck was that?" The Hyuuga demanded, furrowing his brow.

"So, anyway, we should get practicing," Tayuya quickly averted the subject, ushering Neji into the garage and practically shoving him into his drums.

Sasuke, taking his place at the microphone, mouthed _thanks _to Tayuya.

_No problem,_ she mouthed back before strumming the beginning riffs to the song.

But halfway through, Sasuke started to feel the beginnings of that horribly unspeakable pain he'd experienced twice before. _Not now…_he pleaded. The sun hadn't even set yet. He thought the pain only came at night, when the moon rose. And that's when he remembered—full moon was tomorrow night.

_No!_ He realized, dread squeezing his stomach cruelly. He felt like he was going to be sick. He doubled over, clenching his knees with his hands, and tried pitifully to force the nausea down as the muscles of his back tightened to the point where he thought he was going to scream.

The others abruptly stopped playing and watched as Sasuke bolted behind the garage. Tayuya immediately followed, abandoning her guitar, not even bothering to unplug it from the amp. Neji looked like he wanted to follow as well, but Gaara held him back. Gaara knew very well what was happening; there was no need to draw a crowd. "Leave him be," He ordered the Hyuuga.

Behind the garage, Sasuke had bitten down on an old rusted pipe to keep from crying out. The pain had never been this horrid before. It was unbearable. He screwed his eyes tight and brought his knees up to his chest, trying to crush himself as if to crush the agony.

Tayuya rushed over to him. "Sasuke, what's happening?!" She knelt down next to him, unsure of what to do with her hands. He seemed to be in so much pain that she knew any touch would probably do more harm than good. But he blindly groped the air as if searching for something, and Tayuya instinctively grabbed his hand. She ignored the fact that his talons were biting gouges in her skin and instead ran her thumb down his palm rhythmically.

Sasuke felt as if someone had taken a running chainsaw and was slowly dragging it down the soft tissues of his vertebrae, while at the same time taking an iron clamp and squeezing his skull with it. His muscles felt like rocks weighing him down to the point where it was difficult to breathe. Sweat drenched every square inch of his flesh. _I must be dying,_ he figured. _There's no way this agony can be anything but the breast of death._

And yet, the pain began to cease, as if proving him wrong. How morbidly ironic to even think of pain as forgiving. Pain—if one could even profane the trivial word in this current situation; it was very clearly agony—was anything but. This Sasuke grasped very well.

He collapsed into the grass, panting heavily. He reached up and grabbed the pipe from his mouth, ignoring the coppery metallic taste lingering on his tongue. His teeth seemed even sharper now, which made no sense.

"It's over," Tayuya breathed a sigh of relief, reassuring herself as much as Sasuke.

Sasuke cautiously opened his eyes. He still felt sick. Groaning, he released Tayuya's hand and crawled over to a pile of old chicken wire, retching. His heart pounded in the aftermath, and he grasped his chest. He suddenly felt very exhausted, the kind of exhaustion one feels after undergoing a great ordeal. He got the distinct feeling that he would have to get plenty of rest before his final transformation. The thought made his stomach turn, and he doubled over again, succumbing to the nauseous spasms.

"Oh shit, shit…" Tayuya whispered frantically behind him. Sasuke heard her scramble to her feet and run back to the garage. Instinct told him to flee, but he couldn't even bring himself to open his eyes all the way. He gladly let the darkness creeping into his vision take over. A dead numbness spread slowly through his veins, winding like clockwork and immediately enticing him to lose consciousness.


	7. Chapter 7: Full Moon I

**Seven**

FULL MOON

_"Uchiha Sasuke…" _

_ That voice, filled with malicious hate, called his name over and over. Sasuke stumbled blindly through the darkness, groping ahead for anything to grab hold of. He couldn't see a thing, even with his enhanced lycanthropic vision. _

_ "You are worthless…"_

_ Sasuke snarled at the voice, swinging his arms in the darkness like a deranged maniac. His heart thrummed wildly in his expanding chest, his legs shook violently. He collapsed to his knees as a wave of pain shot up his spine. He cried out, curling into a tight, trembling ball as his bones creaked and shifted inhumanly. The pain of anticipation he'd felt lately was nothing compared to this. Silent tears coursed down his stricken face as his spine crunched and extended into tail, writhing sickeningly like a worm. _

_ "You are weak…"_

_ Sasuke tried to make a sound, to call out for Tayuya, anybody, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a low growl. He felt the crackling as his jaw extended, the pain in his gums as his teeth elongated and sharpened to daggers. The scars on his torso flared unceasingly, as if someone had struck a match and was running it down his chest and abdomen. Or better yet, a blowtorch._

_ "Stupid, foolish little brother…"_

_ Itachi's voice echoed demonically throughout the black abyss of Sasuke's warped nightmare, his words reverberating through the empty void like a curse. Sasuke's legs buckled to an unnatural, inverted shape, and his mouth opened in a silent scream as he reached out with his deformed paw, desperately wishing for Tayuya to grab it._

_ Itachi laughed bitterly. "You're too weak to stand the change. It only makes you stronger…" His voice faded and dropped like an elevator through registers of sound, ending with a harsh guttural snarl._

_ Sasuke shuddered into his final shape, raising his muzzle and howling mournfully in defeat._

Sasuke jolted awake with a start, cold sweat winding paths down the flesh of his back. _It was a dream,_ he reminded himself. _Nothing more._

He closed his eyes briefly and sighed, running a hand through his messy cowlick of hair, and not until the tips of his claws scraped against his scalp did the events of the past few days come flooding back to him with the strength of a blow. Reality settled in the sinking pit of his stomach, making him utter a noise of dismay. _It was not _all_ a dream…_

Tonight was the full moon. He would change, that was inevitable. But it would not be in the black abyss of his nightmare, with Itachi's spiteful voice drawling his name over and over again. It certainly wouldn't be pleasant, though.

Sasuke groaned. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and made his way into the bathroom. He reached down to shake off the cumbersome weights of lead tied to his feet, then straightened up—and gaped at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was completely stark white, even his eyebrows, not a single black follicle present. His teeth and nails were sharper than ever, as if they had been filed to perfection the night before. He reached behind him to run his fingers down the thick streak of fur on his back, and discovered something even more shocking, a relic of his nightmare. His spine had elongated into a hairless tail, dangling over the rim of his boxers. It was smooth between his fingers, and writhed at his touch. He recoiled in disgust.

_It's really happening,_ he realized blankly. _I am a werewolf, and I'm going to transform into one tonight, under the full moon, just like a horror movie._ This did not make him feel any more comforted. But, there _was_ something he remembered from literature—the first transformation was usually the hardest and most painful, but the following ones were easy. That helped a little, to know that there would be some kind of relief.

He was most definitely skipping school today. There was no way in hell he could face a whole population of oblivious students and their pulsating blood. It was too much temptation. And the thought of sitting in the bleak, institutionalized classrooms made him cringe; not to mention the prospect of the reconstituted stale, lukewarm cafeteria food that made him want to be violently ill. The only food he ate nowadays was so raw you could hear it moo. Or oink, whichever he got a hold of in his freezer.

He suddenly felt lightheaded. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, he realized it was most likely from not eating anything in the past twenty-four hours or so.

After devouring a hearty breakfast of everything in his freezer, Sasuke opened the kitchen window and was greeted by a wave of pungent air amid a drastic change in atmospheric pressure that meant a storm was blowing in. He loved storms; he loved the dramatic beauty of the sky as it tumultuously rolled and undulated with thick grey clouds, he loved the fierce dances of lightning as it patchworked the horizon, he loved the earth-shattering booms of thunder that resonated through his chest and made his heart pound.

Perhaps he would run in the rain today. Yes, that sounded spot-on. Sasuke ran his tongue over his teeth and made a throaty sound of excitement. He felt his new tail brush against the skin of his thigh when he moved, and a tremor rolled down the flesh of his back on contact. _That_ he still wasn't used to.

He stretched lazily, reaching down to touch his toes. He found himself to be more flexible than before, the ache of his muscles unwinding feeling pleasurable. Sure, there were little perks here and there from playing host to the lycanthrope virus in his blood—the heightened senses especially came in handy—but the gut-wrenching fear of the final transformation still raged violently within him. He would love to have Tayuya by his side as a safe harbor, a light in the darkness of the hellish agony, or even Gaara, because he was a source of helpful information, but he knew that probably wouldn't be feasible.

The first flash of lightning sneaking into Sasuke's peripheral vision interrupted him. _It's about time,_ he grinned wickedly and walked out of the house.

Rain pelted his bare flesh, tracing liquid lines in the grooves of his muscles and running down his arms like baby snakes. The hair all over his body stood on end from the electrical charge in the air, sending a hum through his blood. His T-shirt clung to his wide chest, as did his hair to his scalp. He tipped his head back, letting the rain drench his face, and a barrage of needle-sharp scents assaulted his nose—the icy smell of the rain, the pungent aroma of the damp earth, the buzzing sulfuric odor of lightning.

He felt an undeniable urge stir within and scrape at his insides. He drew in a breath, then let loose a wild howl that crescendoed to the stormy heavens. It absolutely exploded from his chest, rattling his whole frame. It was joyous, impassioned, primal. Ecstasy boiled in his blood, making him laugh hysterically and take off running down the sidewalk, running as if he could turn into a gust of wind and be carried off by the storm.

His breath was harsh and excited as he rounded the corner swiftly, leaping much higher than necessary over a fire hydrant impeding him. If there had been passerby, they surely would've gawked and pointed at the bizarre boy who looked as if he'd escaped from the circus, running and leaping like a gazelle…or a wolf.

Up ahead Sasuke could see the gas station, six cars loitering about at the pumps, more in the small parking lot. People clad in dark overcoats and umbrellas hastily ran inside the store to pay for fuel or to grab a gallon of milk. Teenagers screamed up in old rusted cars blaring tormented shrieking music at a thousand decibels, strutting into the store with ridiculous confidence in their fake I.D.'s.

Sasuke slowed to a casual stride, shoving his hands in his pockets and sauntering inside the store as if he hadn't a care in the world. The bell tinkled when he shoved past the door, almost knocking over a middle-aged man with a large paper bag cradled in his arm.

"Watch it, punk," The disgruntled man threatened.

Sasuke ignored the man's mutters of 'punk ass kids' and instead made his way to the back of the store, where they kept beverages in the freezers. Soda, milk, energy supplements, and beer were displayed on the shelves behind the large glass doors. Most of the ginseng stamina drinks were outrageously overpriced, he noticed with a haughty scoff. He swept over to the shelves where they kept an abundance of chips, idly toying with the bright packaging as he walked. Once he accidentally knocked three bags onto the floor and left them, earning him some hostile looks from the employee mopping the floor over by the cappuccino makers.

Sasuke eventually grew bored of causing a ruckus in the innocent convenience store, so he left. _Where to go next?_ He thought. He could go to Tayuya's, but then again, she was probably in school. Or was she? Tayuya was semi-infamous for her truancy record. With a smirk, he picked up speed toward her neighborhood.

When he reached Tayuya's house, there was no car in the driveway. Her parents were probably at work, or wherever they went during the day. Or perhaps the rusty Oldsmobile was parked in the garage. Sasuke hid in the shrubbery bordering the house, waiting with bated breath for any sign of life coming out the front door. When he decided it was clear, he scaled the drainpipe to the porch roof, peering in the window to Tayuya's bedroom. From here he could see her sleeping form huddled under the mass of dark blankets on the bed, a fiery tousled mane of hair poking out from within.

Sasuke smiled and his eyes half-closed as he slid his talons underneath the window frame. It slid up easily with his inhuman strength, the lock snapping from the forced pressure. Tayuya shifted slightly, moaning softly in her slumber. Sasuke was motionless for a minute; then, he silently slunk into the room with the grace of a cat, settling himself in the bed so gently that he did not disturb her…until the right moment, anyway.

He leaned over and let his lips hover above her ear for what seemed like an eternity, the urge to lick the appendage nearly insuppressible. But, he finally spoke: "Hello, Sleeping Beauty."

Tayuya jumped awake with a start, groping the bedsheets in an effort to seize reality from what she thought was a figment of her imagination whispering in her ear and tickling the light fur of her skin with its warm breath…

"Tayuya, it's me." Sasuke reassured her, reaching out and running his fingers slowly through her wild hair in a lulling motion.

"…Sasuke, you scared the piss outta me," Tayuya mumbled into her pillow. She stretched, reaching back and playfully shoving his shoulder.

Sasuke grabbed her hand, ever so lightly pressing his claws into her flesh—not enough to draw blood, but enough to make her squeal indignantly. "Tayuya, I had to see you," He began, resting his head on her shoulder, his hair falling into her face.

"…You're scared, aren't you?" She replied.

He nodded, tousling her hair in the process. "Scared shitless."

Tayuya was quiet for a moment; then she spoke: "I don't know what to say. It's not like I have any experience, or…words of wisdom…" She trailed off.

"It's all right," Sasuke mumbled. But what Tayuya said was true, and this made Sasuke feel painfully distant from her. He pulled away and settled on his back, staring at the ceiling.

It was quiet for what seemed like an eternity. Only the sounds of their even breathing filled the void of silence in the bedroom…until Tayuya opened her mouth again. She turned to face Sasuke, and he automatically knew this was one of those pre-meditated things.

"Sasuke, show me your scars," She waited expectantly, her eyes filled with eagerness and…sadness? Sasuke couldn't tell for sure.

He smiled sadly, reaching up and, with one fluid motion, ripped his shirt off in a tearing of thread with his claws, thus exposing his infamous myriad of gory attack scars.

Tayuya stared at his torso for a moment; then, she slowly reached out and traced a finger down one of the foot-long disfigurations on his chest. There were four of them, all parallel—the result of a beast swiping its paw across the flesh.

Sasuke closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of Tayuya's touch, her fingers like icicles on his blazing scars. It felt wonderful, and he could imagine the pleasure he would feel when her hand moved lower. He smirked sadistically at the thought. _Who would've thought that getting mauled would end up with consequences as awesome as these? _He mused silently.

Tayuya splayed her fingers as far as they could go, trying to match the width of the talon indents in Sasuke's skin, with no avail. "That thing must have been huge," She concluded, glancing at Sasuke's face for a reaction. He merely nodded, and her fingers ever so gradually moved lower down his torso. It was like she was purposefully delaying the moment, building the excruciating anticipation so the actual act would intensify in significance, and Sasuke knew this. _Clever girl,_ he thought wickedly.

She finally reached the marred knot on his abdomen, examining it with her eyes first, torturing him even more. Sasuke felt his heart pick up speed; his breath catch in his throat. He silently dared Tayuya to touch him, he silently _begged_ her. He wanted the sensation of skin on skin; the sensation of butterflies in his stomach. _Go on,_ his head-voice told her.

Not a full second had passed. Tayuya hesitantly brushed her fingertips along the grooves of Sasuke's scarred flesh, memorizing the texture. "They feel like tooth holes," She mumbled.

"Mmm-hmm…" Sasuke replied, his toes curling. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth at Tayuya's touch. _Do something drastic,_ he suggested silently. _Surprise me._

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**This chapter is not finished. I haven't worked on this story since…probably '06 or '07. **

6


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